Ups and Downs

Cannot believe the end of July is upon us. Summer sure does seem to be flying by. Well, I titled this months blog update "Ups and Downs" because this month sure has seemed to be full of them. The month began with a pretty major low. I preface this story with we're all fine and to let you know the story ended well, but it was a rather scary experience. So, on June 28th (Sunday) around 10am we went out for a family walk around our neighborhood. We walked for about 30 minutes and as we approached our rental house we saw an unfamiliar truck in the driveway. Then as we got closer we saw a strange young man walk out our front door. We yelled, "Hey what are you doing?" and "This is our house". We then saw our flat screen TV amongst other personal items in the back of the truck and realized we walked up on them robbing our house. They realized they were caught and hopped in the truck to leave. We pushed Grey in his stroller off the side to safe spot and Kyle and I attempted to stop them from backing up. They backed up into the yard and Kyle tried to open the driver's door and actually ripped the handle off. Then as they speed away down the street the passenger leaned out and fired 3-4 shots in Kyle's directions, Greyson and I were further up the driveway. As, I said we we're all fine - incredibly scared and shaken up, but fine. Our neighbor came out when he heard the commotion and shots and called 911. Police were here in minutes and put out a radio call for the truck based on the info we saw and a few neighbors who witnessed the event. They were able to track them down within 20 blocks of here and after a bit of a high speed chase they crashed into a corner of a house/telephone pole and attempted to run on foot, but we're caught by the authorities. Both are sitting in the county detention center currently and are awaiting trial. We were able to get our things back since they were caught, but granted many things were ruined in the process. Thankfully we had renter's insurance. So, as I said this was a big "down" in our lives and we're still recovering from that trauma day by day. We did get a new metal door and frame installed (since they kicked in the door to enter) and got a pretty detailed security system installed. It's definitely helping us sleep better at night. We're so thankful for not getting hurt in that moment and that they were caught, but still can't get over that this happened to us in broad daylight on a Sunday morning. A big thanks to all of you who heard about this event and were so supportive during this rough time with us.

On to happier news, a big "up" for this month was my week long trip home to Chicago with Greyson. He had so much fun spending lots of time with his grandparents. He enjoyed a trip to Woodfield Mall and Build-a-Bear, had his first taste of Portillo's, and played with Mommy's friends who came to visit. Grandpa Mike and Grandma Joannie were brave enough to babysit Grey for a night while I went I enjoyed a night out in Indy for my friend Jeff's wedding. Lisa and I actually met there and a had a blast at the wedding reception with friends. While I was away Greyson had so much fun going to the Kohl's Children's Museum with his grandparents and a trip to the park. We then spent a few days at my Dad's lake house and enjoyed relaxing in nature, going boating, and feeding Kali the dog lots of snacks before it was time for us to head home. I also give myself a lot of credit, as this was my first trip with just Greyson and I. Dealing with airports and flying with a toddler is exhausting, but overall he did great and I got through it, too.

Kyle is 3 weeks into his first set of officer training here at Ft. Sill. The hours have been long and the training is quite repetitive for someone who has been in the Army for the past 5 years, but he's getting through it. We're looking forward to him finish this training and moving on to his field artillery officer basic course in mid-August. It will be a bit more academic and the hours should be better. Greyson and I are much happier when Daddy is home at a decent time at night to squeeze in some family time before G's bedtime. While Kyle is busy at work I'm keeping busy with Grey. I'm lucky to have a friend from Clarksville who is also here for her hubby's training so we get together often with our kiddos for play dates. We enjoy going to the library play time, running errands, visiting the water park and splash park. I'm also just about done with my first grad class and am proud of how well I've done. I'm looking forward to the month of August off before I start 2 more courses in September. I will actually have some time to read for pleasure not for grad school - yeah!

Greyson is growing and changing more and more everyday. He's such a toddler now, running around, climbing on things, curious about everything, and a very defined and strong personality. We're still so blessed to have a very happy young man most of the time. He his moods, but we're starting time out with him to work on those toddler tantrums. We'll see how that goes. He's also become very verbal. He talks all the time, granted it's mostly not in English, but he sure gabs away. He does say quite a few words now: Mama (for both Kyle and I - he's not so happy about that), Nona (for Corona and Portillo - both of our cats), Nana (banana), Baba (milk or water), he's even attempting to say Cheese (mostly comes out Ch...), and shoes (he makes the Sh sound). He's also regularly using sign language he's learned from the great Signing Time DVDs we have. He regularly signs milk, apple, cookie, eat, puppy, potty, more, all done. Sign language has been a great outlet for him to communicate while he still can't quite verbalize his thoughts. He's growing taller and taller everyday and has to be close to weighing 30 lbs...trust me my exhausted arms feel it. He's very independent at times and likes to walk on his own and check things out, but other times he's very attached to Mom. Overall, he's amazing and he definitely keeps me on my toes while we spend our days together during the week and during our family time on the weekends.

We're looking forward to Kyle's parents coming to visit next week - they are kind enough to come keep me company and play with Grey while Kyle is out in the field for training. It should be fun to show them some more places we've discovered here in Oklahoma. Weather continues to be oppressively hot most of the time, but this week it's been in the 80's....that's pretty much like winter here in the plains. Ha ha!

All our best to you and your families!

Lots of Love,
K, L, and G

P.S. There are new pics linked to the side - I cleared out some links to older pictures because it was getting a bit crowded. Sorry there are a few less than normal because my camera was one of the damaged items in the burglary and it took some time to replace it. Thankfully my Mom took lots of pics during our time in Chicago.

P.P.S. Also enjoy the video - G shows off his climbing, talking and love of waving all in one.

Fun in the Sun

June has brought A LOT of changes for our family. The biggest of those changes being our move from Tennessee to Lawton, Oklahoma (home of Ft. Sill) earlier this month. Thankfully it went relatively smoothly. We spent a week or so prepping our house in TN to move and get it ready for the renters we have coming in. Then the good ole military movers (who were great!) came and spent a whole day packing us up and another day loading our stuff on the truck and then off our stuff went. We spent a week or so more taking care of last minute things at the house and preparing to head to Oklahoma. Kyle's parents kindly flew to TN to help us make the road trip to Oklahoma. They stayed with us for a week and were a HUGE help - doing lawn care, unpacking boxes, and taking care of Grey so Kyle and I could do a marathon unpacking job. I'm proud to say that within 48 hours of the movers dropping off our things everything was unpacked with pictures on the wall - phew, it was exhausting, but sure feels nice to be "home". Now that we're settled were enjoying a few weeks of family time and getting to know the Lawton area while Kyle is on leave before he starts his training on July 6th. We've joined the YMCA and we're enjoying working out and Greyson has fun in the nursery. We also got season passes for the nice local waterpark and head there a few times a week - you gotta find ways to beat the Oklahoma heat and trust me it's HOT!

Greyson did so well with the move. It was a little rough with our day and half road trip, but once we got to Oklahoma it's been smooth sailing. He's loving our house here and loves to wander around and explore our new place. We also have a nice little backyard setup with his sand/water table and a big blow up "kiddie" pool that all 3 of us can sit in on a hot afternoon. The other change with him is we are transitioning from 2 naps to 1. It was a bit rough the first day, but it's getting better every day now. He's now sleeping from 6pm to 7:30am and then staying up all morning until he takes his afternoon nap at 12pm and sleeps until 3pm. It's working out nicely and it's great to have the morning to get out and go play or run errands and then it's nice to have that long nap so I can work on grad school, clean, or just relax for a bit. In other Greyson news he now has a mouth full of teeth. His 1 year molars are all just about cut through now and I'm honestly not even sure how many teeth total he has now - 13-14ish? Honestly it's a bit scary to stick your hand in his mouth to check because he can sure bite if he feels like it - ouch!

Also, want to extend an extra Happy Father's Day wish to all our great Dads/Grandpas! Daryl, Mike L., Mike K. - you are fabulous and we're so appreciative of having you all in our lives. Greyson and I got Kyle his dream grill (the Char-Griller - one half is gas and the other is charcoal) and a few books for Father's Day. We also took a fun family outing to the world famous Meers Restaurant which is in a tiny town (it's literally ONLY the restaurant and few houses) about 30 minutes from us. They are well known for their gigantic Meer burger that is something like 9 inches in diameter and fills the entire pie tin that it's served in. It was DELICIOUS! Burgers and beers was the perfect way to celebrate what an amazing Dad Kyle is and how much we love him!

Well, nap time is just about ending and we're off the waterpark to cool off. Hope you are all enjoying these summer days and good luck trying to keep cool. Enjoy the updated June pictures and a video, too!

Lots of Love,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Greyson


P.S. Here's a bit of fun G had when we were getting ready to move - who knew empty bathroom cabinets could be so entertaining!

Little Boy Land

Well, Greyson recently had his 15 month appointment and his new stats are in. He now weighs in at 25 lbs 6 ounces (yes, are arms are getting buff carrying him), and he is 32 and half inches tall - putting him the 90% for height. Definitely think I'll be looking up to yell at my little boy one day. He's been playing around some 2 year olds lately and is about the same height....better get him practicing some basketball skills soon! He's a walking/running monster who loves to get into everything. Gone are our mellow babies days and we've officially entered little boy land. Full energy all the time!

The month of May have been a busy and exciting one for our family. It's a winding down time in our lives as we prepare to leave Clarksville now that Kyle has completed his masters degree and been commissioned as an Army Field Artillery Officer. His commissioning and graduation were at the beginning of the month and both were wonderful events where we and our parents were thrilled to share in Kyle's accomplishments. Kyle former "boss" 1st Sergeant Money and his family came to be his first salute - so awesome of them! I proudly got to "pin" on his new rank of 2nd lieutenant. It marks a major accomplishment in his Army career and he's now preparing to begin his training in Fort Sill in early July. Speaking of Fort Sill - we will be moving to good ole Ooooookalahoma on June 10th. I can't believe moving time is here. Clarksville has been great to us and we've made some lifelong friends here that I know we will continue to keep in touch with no matter where the Army sends us. Our packers and movers are scheduled to come next week and then Kyle's parents will be flying in shortly after that to help us make the lovely drive to Oklahoma. We're so thankful for their help in driving our other car and helping us to get settled in our new home. Sadly we didn't end up selling our house here, but we did find a wonderful family to rent it and a great property manager to take care of the details in our absence. It's a rough time to try to sell in this market, so we're hoping to rent it for a few years and then try selling again once the market improves.

The other change in our household is that I'm now officially done teaching for the foreseeable future. I finished the school year last week and I'm now changing my job title to full time stay at home mom/online grad student. Basically I now have a new boss and he's a high energy 15 month old little boy who is quite demanding, but darn cute! I recently started my first grad school class (online through Penn State) and I'm really enjoying it. Kyle has been great at showing me the ropes with online classes, and I'm enjoying the thought provoking discussions with many other fellow teachers in the program. I plan to take a class or two over the next few years to piece meal my degree slowly, but surely. I'm thrilled to now be able to be home with Grey all day, though I know Kyle is soon going to be missing his special time with him when he's back to full day training. Though I know he'll find a way to make extra time for our little man - they have such a great bond together.

Well, I'm off to go organize a bit more to prepare for the move. Thankfully the Army takes care of most of it, but we do need to set aside what we're moving ourselves as the moving truck may not arrive in Oklahoma for a few weeks....oh what fun it will be to live out of boxes and suitcases. Wish us luck on our new adventure in life and be on the lookout for an email in the next few weeks with our updated address so you can update your address books. We'll be in Oklahoma from June through January and then we're headed to Colorado...yahoo!!!

Lots of Love,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Greyson

P.S. Enjoy the May pictures of Kyle's commissioning, our adventure strawberry picking, and playing around our house.

Here is Greyson being his usual goofy self at home.


Below is our big boy eating - he's come along way and even likes to switch it up and feed Mommy sometimes.

Walking on Sunshine

Well, it's official he's walking. It was truly amazing - one day he took a few steps, then the next day a few more, and so on to now he rarely sits down! Soon enough he'll be up and running and we'll be exhausted running right behind him. Posted a few videos to show off more of his skills and another amusing one of the "toilet discovery" Greyson made - sooo funny!

In other news we took a trip to fabulous Lawton, Oklahoma (home of Ft. Sill) in early April and found a great rental house that will be a nice fit for us for our months there during Kyle's training. Kyle and I enjoyed our first few nights away without Grey and Daryl and Joyce had a fun filled weekend babysitting their grandson. Now that our housing is situated in Oklahoma we're trying to get things figured out for our house here in TN. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it's going to sell - the market is just too saturated and with it being such a buyers market we've had many "the house is great, but we went with something else" showings. Oh well, our plan B is to rent out our house here for a couple of years and then try selling again when the market bounces back. We already have quite few interested renters, so it looks like that shouldn't be a problem. Looks like we'll be moving around June 15th, crazy to think we'll be out of here in a month or so...time flies.

Speaking of time flying, Kyle's graduation and commissioning is coming up this weekend. I'm so excited for him in this momentous occasion in his career and sharing in the accomplishment of him getting his masters degree. He's worked really hard the past few years and it's great to celebrate all his success. We're looking forward to my mom and step dad, Kyle's parents, and his brother and his girlfriend all coming in to town to share in his moment. Should be a busy and fun filled weekend. I'm excited about it, but still coming down from my exciting weekend in NYC with my sister and mom in honor of Lisa's 30th birthday. We had a FABULOUS time enjoying the city life, taking the "Sex and the City" Tour (we're all big fans), seeing "Billy Elliot" (GREAT show!), and enjoying shopping and lots of tasty food. Kyle played "Mr. Mom" and had a great boys weekend with Greyson while Mommy was off in the Big Apple. Overall, we've had a busy and fun filled April and we're sure this next month will keep us quite busy tying up loose ends here in Clarksville and get ready to move to our next stop in Oklahoma.

With Love,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Greyson

P.S. Enjoy the April pictures and videos.

Walking and Playing


A Little Harmless Wrist and Foot Rattle Fun


The Toilet Discovery


Mr. Goofy

Walking Monster

Well folks, it's pretty much official - Greyson is FINALLY walking. We've seen signs of it for months now, but now at 14 months and a couple of days he's now growing the confidence to explore the world on 2 feet. He's still not exactly consistent or graceful in his walking ability, in fact, at times he stumbles around like a drunk man. But we're proud of his accomplishment and wanted to share a quick glimpse of his skills. Sorry it's not the best footage - just captured a quick moment of it on my Blackberry, but you get the point. Watch out world....here comes our little monster.

Springing Into Spring

Springtime has arrived and we're enjoying the warmer days and not so enjoying the icky rainy cold days, but soon enough HOT summer will arrive in Tennessee and we'll be wishing for cooler weather. March has kept us busy as usual - we enjoyed a visit from Kyle's parents, Daryl and Joyce, earlier this month. Great to have them come and hang out and spend time with Greyson. Kyle has been busy with ROTC - spring tends to keep him out in the woods for the weekend "playing war". He's winding down on grad school and will graduate in about a month. Can't believe it's been 2 years with him at Austin Peay. I enjoyed having a week off for spring break this past week and we managed to keep busy with lots of fun activities. Kyle and I took Greyson to the Nashville Zoo and had a blast seeing many animals. Then Greyson and I drove down to Atlanta to visit my sister, Lisa, and enjoyed time with her and visit the Atlanta Aquarium. We had a blast!

Greyson is doing really well! He's becoming such a little boy - always getting into things and making a mess with a big ole smile on his face. He's not walking yet, but I predict it's coming SOON! He's pulling up and standing unassisted on pretty much everything. Just waiting for him to get the courage to take those steps...hopefully I'll be ready with the camera nearby. He's developing more and more of a vocabulary everyday. He says MaMa, DaDa, BaBa (ball), Nona, Tillo, and a few more. He's also an expert waver. He LOVES to wave at people. Pretty much everywhere he goes he waves at anyone passing by - how polite! He even waves when there is a no one there. I took him for a walk around the neighborhood and he was just waving to the left and waving to the right - I think he's convinced he's royalty in a parade. Too funny! He's also developing his sign language skills. He's been watching a great DVD from the "Signing Time" series and he's picked up the signs for milk, ball, more, eat. Great to have another way for him to communicate his needs and wants to us.

We're gearing up to move in a few months and dealing with the "fun" of having our house on the market. We've had a few showings, but nothing has come of them so far. We're keeping our fingers crossed and hoping to sell soon. Next weekend Kyle and I are off to Oklahoma to get things figured out for our move coming up in June while Daryl and Joyce (Kyle's parents) are kind enough to come and stay with Greyson at our house while we're away. This is the first time we've left him overnight, but we know he'll be in good hands. Kyle and I are looking forward to a few nights to ourselves - granted Lawton, Oklahoma isn't exactly the most romantic of destinations, but we'll take what we can get. We're also REALLY excited about the news of Kyle's orders to Fort Carson when he's done with his training in Oklahoma. We're excited to be living in such a beautiful place come January and we know that Colorado Springs will be a great place for our family to be for the next few years.

Well, that's all for now. Hope you're enjoying the spring and here's to hoping the April showers bring lots of pretty May flowers.

Love,
Kyle, Lindsey, and Greyson

P.S. Don't forget to check out the March 2009 photos as well as the two videos below - Greyson shows off his skills with Mom's Blackberry and flying airplanes with Auntie Lisa.

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